CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The Clemson Tigers are back in a familiar spot: atop the Atlantic Coast Conference football world.
And they may have found a quarterback to keep them there.
Freshman Cade Klubnik came off the bench to complete 20 of 24 passes for 279 yards and a touchdown, and he also ran for a score to lead No. 10 Clemson to a 39-10 victory over No. 24 North Carolina in Saturday night's ACC title game.
Cornerback Nate Wiggins broke up two passes in the end zone, blocked a field-goal attempt and returned an interception 98 yards for a touchdown as the Tigers won their seventh ACC title in eight seasons.
Clemson (11-2, No. 9 College Football Playoff ranking) won six straight league championships from 2015 to 2020 before failing to reach the title game last season. But coach Dabo Swinney's program rebounded in a big way inside the ACC, going 9-0 against conference foes this season to reach the Orange Bowl.
"We're going to South Beach!" Swinney shouted to fans after the game.
The Tigers have Klubnik to thank for that.
With Clemson down 7-0, Swinney benched two-year starter DJ Uiagalelei after the Tigers failed to pick up a first down on their first two possessions, turning to Klubnik. The former five-star recruit from Austin, Texas, responded by leading the Tigers to four straight scores and a 24-10 halftime lead that was at its final margin heading into the fourth quarter.
North Carolina coach Mack Brown said he didn't expect Clemson to make the mid-game switch and it threw his team off. The Tar Heels (9-4, No. 23 CFP) had planned to stack the box and make Uiagalelei beat them through the air.
"Cade had played very little all year, and when he went in to play against Notre Dame, he threw an interception," Brown said, "so we totally thought we would see DJ, because they hadn't changed all year."
But it wasn't the first time Swinney had called Klubnik's number. He benched Uiagalelei in the second half against Syracuse, and Klubnik responded by rallying the Tigers to a 27-21 victory. Swinney also turned to Klubnik against Notre Dame, although the results were the opposite with the freshman throwing an interception that was returned for a touchdown in a 35-14 loss.
Klubnik had completed 11 of 22 passes for 98 yards coming into the game.
Swinney, though, has never been shy about replacing veteran quarterbacks with less experienced players in key situations. He did it in 2014, sitting Cole Stoudt for Deshaun Watson, and again in 2018, replacing Kelly Bryant with Trevor Lawrence.
"You got a glimpse of our future at Clemson," Swinney said about Klubnik. "I'm excited to see him continue to build on it and gain momentum going into next year."
Swinney said Klubnik will start in the Orange Bowl. He also said he told the freshman last Sunday that he would be behind center for the team's third possession in the ACC title game regardless of what happened on the first two.
"They told me to prepare every week like you are going to play, and that has been my mindset," Klubnik said. "I have learned so much, and this week I was able to dial it in."
ACC player of the year Drake Maye was limited to 268 passing yards and turned the ball over three times for North Carolina, which was seeking its first ACC title since 1980, when Lawrence Taylor was wreaking havoc on quarterbacks.
Maye got things started on the right foot for the Heels, capping an 11-play, 78-yard drive with a 3-yard touchdown run for the game's first points on their opening possession.
But they repeatedly sputtered on offense inside the red zone after that, the biggest blow coming when Maye misfired near the goal line and Wiggins — who had struggled in Clemson's 51-45 win over Wake Forest — returned his errant pass for a touchdown to give Clemson a 32-10 lead with 5:05 left in the third quarter.
"He threw it right to me," Wiggins said. "I was thinking, 'Ain't nobody catching me. I've got to get to the end zone.' I felt like today was my day."
Said Maye: "We were moving the ball all night, and we'd get to the red zone and we'd have a stall and a stop in the road. It starts with me. I've got to make better decisions. I've got to make some plays."
Klubnik provided an immediate spark for Clemson, which ultimately bounced back a week after taking its second loss of the season, 31-30, to in-state rival South Carolina of the Southeastern Conference.
He led the Tigers on a nine-play, 71-yard drive, culminating in a 1-yard touchdown pass to Davis Allen. After Maye's fumble, Klubnik caught a 19-yard pass from Phil Mafah to set up Mafah's 4-yard run to the end zone, Clemson's second touchdown in a span of 40 seconds.
Klubnik then showed off his arm strength with a 68-yard pass to fellow freshman Cole Turner to set up his own 1-yard run for a 21-7 lead.
This was the final ACC title game with two division winners playing for a championship. In future years, all ACC teams will be lumped together, and the two teams with the best records will advance to the title game.
North Carolina's bowl destination was unknown Saturday, but wherever the Heels go, they will be trying to get back on track after losing three in a row, dropping their final two regular-season games to league foes Georgia Tech and N.C. State before stumbling again versus Clemson. Their other loss was to Notre Dame in the fourth game.